Wrench



(No Model.) v

. R. S. RUST.

I WRENCH.

No. 516,281. Patented Mar. 13, 1894.

NITED STATES ATENT Enron,

ROBERT SINGLETON RUST, OF WARREN COUNTY, ASSIGNOR OF THREE- FOURTHS TO JAMES R. GREEN, OF FAUQUIER COUNTY, AND J. W. YATES, OF RAPPAHANNOCK COUNTY, VIRGINIA.

WRENCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 516,281, dated March 13, 1894. Application filed May 31, 1893. Serial No. 476,110. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT SINGLETON RUST, residing in the county of Warren and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wrenches; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use to the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon,which form part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in wrenches.

The object of the invention is to providea wrench exceedingly strong, cheap and durable in construction, and composed of a minimum number of parts, and which can be adusted to a nicety, very easily and quickly, without requiring any previous knowledge or skill, in the particular operation of such devices. I

A further object of the invention is to provide such an improved manner of forming the biting faces of the wrench jaws, that the wrench can be used without slipping, and the object can be very firmly grasped without injury or tearing.

The invention consists in certain novel fea tures of construction, and in combinations of parts more fully described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of the invention. Fig. 2 is a front edge view thereof. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the device for locking 4 and releasing the movable jaw, and Figs..5

and 6 are plan views respectively of the biting faces of the rigid and movable jaws.

In the drawings the reference letter a, indieates the wrench or handle bar provided at its upper end with the fixed lateral jaw 19.

The inner edge of the wrench bar from said jaw downwardly, a suitable distance toward the opposite end of the bar is provided with a closely arranged series of fine ratchet teeth or notches c, for the purposes hereinafter 5o mentioned.

,or wrench bar. jaws, preferably the movable jaw is provided d, indicates the movable jaw, provided with the sleeve 6 as usual, embracing the handle The biting face of one of said with a closely arranged series of longitudinal 5 5 Vv shaped grooves forming the sharp biting edges f, extending longitudinally of the jaw from the handle bar to the outer edge of the jaw.. These grooves are extended the full length of the jaw and along beside the handle bar to the rear end of thej aw, as clearly shown,

so that each side edge of the jaw is formed sharp, hence a firm hold orgripcan be obtained on any object although a very small portion or edge thereof is so exposed as to be grasped by the wrench, as this sharp edge along the sides of the jaw will grasp the object and hold it. The engaging or biting face of the opposite jaw preferably, the rigid jaw, is provided with aseries of grooves extending trans- 7o versely from the outer or side edges of the jaw inwardly toward the center of the jaw on oblique or inclined lines so that the grooves meet at the center of the jaw forming each groove in the shape of a V with its apex at the center of the jawand inclined outwardly.'

' These grooves are closely arranged and parallel and forming the biting edges between them which are inclined toward the inner side of the jaw thereby forming sharp biting edges. When a body to be turned is grasped by the jaws and the handle bar is forced down, the g straight longitudinal edges of the movable jaw permit the body to turn while the V shaped grooves of the fixed jaw wedge on the body and tightly and firmly grip the same. The longitudinal grooves as before stated permit the body to turn or slip down while the V shaped grooves wedge the same and tightly hold it, the V shaped grooves having awedging action as is clearly obvious. The object to be operated upon is grasped so that the wrench must be moved laterally, the longitudinal ridges of the under jaw will tend to hold the body, and the inclined ridges of the 5 fixed jaw will have the same wedging action. This improved manner of arranging and locating the biting edges of the jaws is a great advantage and important.

'i, indicates a movable locking plate located i in a socket in the front side of the sleeve of the movable jaw and having its inner face serrated or provided with teeth to correspond and intermesh with the teeth on the front edge of the handle bar. It will thus be seen that the movable jaw can be freely adjusted on the handle bar when said plate is drawn out of engagement with said ratchet teeth of the handle bar, and when the plate is forced nto engagement with said teeth the movable aw Wil lbe locked in position. Suitable means 1s provlded to accomplish this purpose. A stud or boltj extends through an opening in the frontedge 0f the sleeve of the movable aw and 1s pivotally joined to the said looking plate so as to move the locking plate in and out, so as to be capable of turning independently of said plate. This short bolt or stud is provided with a thread or spiral groove engaged by pins is, projecting in from the sleeve, so that when the stud or boltis turned 1n one direction, say to the left, it will be thrown in and will force the locking plate into engagement with the ratchet teeth or notches of the handle bar, and when it is turned in the opposite direction it will draw the plate out from engagement with the notches of the handle bar, the said pins being stationary proectingintotheopeningofthejawsleeve. This stud is provided with a head located on the outer side'of the jaw sleeve and with a lateral handle Z, extending downwardly beyond the outer end of the sleeve, and having an intnrned edge m, working and fittingin agroove 'rt, across the end edge of said sleeve. Stops 3 and 4 are provided to limit the swing of said handle or thumb piece in either direction, either to force the locking plate int-o en gagementwith the handle bar or to remove the same from thehandle bar. Asuitable spring 0, is preferably provided to yieldingly hold the thumb lever in its limit of movement,

holding the locking piece from the wrench bar. From the foregoing description it will be seen that this thumb piece or lever is 10- ca'ted in such position that it can be easily and quickly moved by the thumb when the hand is grasping the wrench, and thus the movable jaw can be adjusted to the proper position without removing the hand from the handle bar and the jaw can be clamped in the desired position Without affecting or moving the hand in any way.

The simplicity and durability of this article are obvious.

It is evident that various changes might be made in the forms,constructions and arrangementsof parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not wish to limit myself to the exact construction here shown, but consider myself entitled to all such changes as fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a wrench, the combination of the wrench bar having the serrations, the rigid jaw and the movable jaw having the locking plate provided with serrations to engage the serrations of the wrench bar, and a threaded stud carried by the movable jaw to move said plate in and out of engagement with the wrench bar, said stud having a lateral thumb lever, extending longitudinally of the movable jaw sleeve toward the handle end of the wrench so as to be within easy reach of the thumb of the hand grasping said handle, and a spring acting on said thumb lever as set forth.

2. In a wrench, the movable jaw having the locking plate to move into and out of engagement with the serrations ofthe wrench bar, a stud attached to said plate to move the same in and out and turn independent thereof having threads working in an opening in the movable jaw, a thumb lever extending from said stud to the end of the movable jaw sleeve and having the projection working in a groove in the end of the movable jaw sleeve and stops for said lever, and a spring to yieldingly hold said lever in its limit of movement in one direction.

3. In a wrench, the combination of the wrench bar having serrations on its front face and the rigid jaw, the movable jaw, a locking plate in a recess in the interior of said movable jaw having a biting face to engage said serrations of the bar, a threaded stud at its inner end jonrnaled in the said plate and. extending outwardly through an opening. in the sleeveof the movable jaw, and a lever rigid with the outer end of said stud and extending downwardly along the sleeve of the movable jaw and projecting below the same to be engaged by the thumb, substantially as described.

4. The wrench having the two jaws provided with parallel engaging faces, one of said faces being provided with the transverse V shaped biting ridges, and the other face provided with the closely arranged series of longitudinal parallel sharp biting ridgesf, extending longitudinally of the jaw from the outer edge thereof to the handle bar, and along the edges of the jaw oneach side of the handle bar to the rear end of the jaw, as and forthe purposes described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses. l

ROBERT SINGLETON RUST.

\Vitne'sses:

J NO. H. DELAPLANE, H. G. PFEIFER. 

